Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26

I watched the testimony of the people from New Orleans before congress today. All I heard was that the federal government had messed up and that there was a lot of racism in the recovery attempt. I don’t know about that. All I know is that all our members, white and black had the opportunity to escape before the flood if they wanted to. Is it possible that racism reared its ugly head during this whole ordeal? Absolutely! Racism rears it’s ugly head every time it gets a chance. It is my contention that it is no worse here than anywhere else. But we Christians cannot be sucked into this no matter who we are.

“From one man” God made every man and woman. Adam is my great great great, etc grandfather just as he is the grandfather of Joy Feast whose funeral I will conduct on Friday. The world loves to see the races at odds with each other, but we know. We know that we are brothers and sisters. Let’s not let those who play the race card and those who do the racist things, separate us who have learned to love each other based upon Jesus’ love for us. I’m waiting to get to heaven when no one will notice.

News:

1. Word has come to me that sometimes I am wrong when I quote a Bible passage. I use the wrong verse. I could say that it is my moldy Bible that came through the flood. But it is probably just carelessness on my part. Sorry! It was Ps 116:15 not Ps. 116:11.
2. Tanner has the funeral arrangements set. I’ll be preaching in a Baptist church. Not new for me, but maybe new for them.
3. I might miss a day or two of these newsletters since I’ll be on the road but I’ll see. (How will you survive?)
4. Choir practice on Sunday at 10:00 AM. Please be there since we are having a concert at 5:00 PM on Sunday at the Abita Springs Christmas Party.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Carol and I are in Macon Ga getting ready for Joy's Funeral. Tanner and the other children are doing pretty good. Robin is here as well. I know you wish you could be here. Joy was a faithful member of our church for a long time. And we love her. I thought you might like to read the sermon I'm preaching later today at her funeral. In some way maybe at 1:00 Eastern time you can join us in thanking God for his blessings in Joy's life.

Be strong in the Lord:

Pastor

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

Dear Family and Friends of our sister, Joy Feast

It’s an empty thing. It just hurts and it won’t stop. It seems like something that you just can’t fix. And we can’t fix it. Our mother, our sister, our friend has passed away and we won’t hear her, “I’m OK” any more. These are days that we know will come but days we hope never come. We run out of words, we run out of tears, our emotions are drained. There is nothing left but empty silence. That is the silence the disciples found themselves in as they mourned the death of their friend, Jesus. But in he walked, into their silence and said, “Fear not it is I, Be not afraid.” Into their emptiness and pain he walked and he said, “Because I live you will live also.” And today we count on Jesus to do the same for us…. To walk into our silence suffering a pain and comfort us in our hour of need. And he will.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. In the middle of a psalm in which the psalmist cries out for help to the Lord, we find these amazing words, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” I guess we wouldn’t be surprised if it said, “Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the life of his saints.” We know that life is precious to the Lord and to us. It is his gift to us and each day of our lives, we count on the Lord blessing us. And certainly Joy’s life was precious to us.

I remember sitting at Joy’s kitchen table trying to study the Bible with her. I say trying because she had this pot of greens working on the stove and its hard to concentrate with food like that cooking on the stove. I got her to give me her recipe. I remember her coming early to Sunday School. She’d sit outside on the bench and she’d be braiding one of those grandbaby’s hair. Sunday Morning, so many little girls, so much hair. I remember her comments in Sunday School. Sometimes she would ask questions because she honestly wanted to know God’s word better. Sometimes she would inspire the whole class with a confession of faith and trust in God. You know Joy never had anything when it came to worldly wealth and her life wasn’t always easy but she was always quick to say how thankful she was to the Lord for all that she had. I remember going into the her daycare with all those little ones running around, and there she would be hold one baby sometimes two. The Lord gave her a love for children and a lap designed to hold two. And you know, that daycare might not have been the fanciest in town but people wanted to bring their children there, because they knew they would be loved. Joy was my friend and her life was precious to me. I know you all have stories like that. I know her life was precious to you.

But the psalm says that her death is precious to God. Something is precious if it cost a lot. Today cost a lot. Oh, I’m not talking about the funeral here, it cost our Lord a lot more. You see, as uncommonly gentle as Joy was, she had something very much in common with us, she was a sinner and she knew it. Her words, her deeds and her thoughts were not the perfect thoughts words and deeds that God demanded. If Joy would be judged by God according to her deeds, this day would be an awful day. The day of her death would be the beginning of eternal condemnation and we would be mourning indeed. But that is not were we are today. Jesus is here and he says, “I am the resurrection and the life, he that believes in me will live even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus died to wash away Joys sins and yours and mine. It cost him plenty, it cost him his life, death on the cross. Joy knew that. Joy believed that. And we know that because of what Jesus did, Joy lives today. Joy is alive with Jesus today. Joy is more alive today than at any time in her life. Oh, it is so good to know that. “Oh death where is thy sting?” It cost Jesus a lot to give us this precious day.

It is also precious to the Lord because it marks the day that Joy’s salvation is complete. It is kind of like raising children. We raise them, teach them, help them and one day we are able to let them off on their own, our work is complete. Well, God spent about 56 years working on Joy’s life. He brought her into his kingdom in baptism, he worked through his word and the Spirit to strengthen her faith. He was with her through some tough times. And there were probably times when it seemed like he was going to lose to the Devil. But he held her tight, taught her, loved her, held her on his lap more than once and last week he brought her home. We cried, but the angels sang. All we who have been displaced by this hurricane have been longing to go home. Well, Joy was the first one to make it. She really made it home.

So this day is also precious to us, because we are thankful for the blessings of Salvation which are Joy’s. It would be more precious if we would use this day to get ready to die like Joy died. Make no mistake, the day is coming when you won’t be out there, you will be up here. The best tribute you could ever make to Joy would be to say, “I remember Joy Feast’s funeral. That was the day I decided that I would get serious about knowing and believing in Jesus.” That was the day I found Joy.

So my friends, we will see her again. The day will come when we enter into glory and she will be there. And I don’t know if there are babies in heaven but if there are she’ll be holding one, maybe two. AMEN

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

...He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. Acts 2:33

They were all in tears yesterday. IÂ’m not sure if that is the sign of a good church service or not. We had our next installment of what I like to call the Mold Krewe. They were down here to help us, members and some non-members, with gutting our houses after the flood. After the service I asked them to stand up and give their names and where they were from. But they did more than that and almost every one of them had tears in their eyes and some found it hard to say what was on their mind. What do you suppose caused this? They talked about things like church without walls, fellowship, and the voice of God. Young ladies and big macho men had the same problem - too much emotion, too many tears. (And when you try to stop them, it just gets worse.)

What could it be? Could it have been the hour and a half ride to church? Maybe it was coming to church where people were genuinely glad to see them. Maybe it was worshipping in a crowded living room. Or it could have been a painfully boring sermon. What was it?

It was Pentecost Day and the disciples were all standing around and all at once the Holy Spirit came upon them. The Holy Spirit was poured out on them by the ascended Jesus. They were filled with the Spirit and everyone could tell.

We had confessed sins together, we had sung some hymns and gathered around the word. The Spirit was keeping his promise. These were people who had stepped out in faith. It was their faith that had carried them here. They were in the midst of a clearly good deed. They were being the person the Spirit had created them to be. And they found themselves in purest form of fellowship around the Word of God, with people they had never even met. As the Spirit filled them it choked their voices and squeezed tears out of their eyes. The rest of us felt it too. It wasnÂ’t heaven but it might have been a taste.

News:

1. Good attendance yesterday in church.
2. Kathy Jones and Josiah became new members of the Family. It is nice to have new members. Please make them feel welcome.
3. The choir sang at TrinityÂ’s Christmas party. We all passed a good time. Thanks to Trinity for inviting us.
4. Horace reports that he is doing well after his surgery.
5. Connienaice discovered that she will have to get a hearing aid. Remember her in your prayers.
6. The Financial Secretary and Treasurer reported at our Congregational meeting that our offerings are holding up. We thank God and his people.
7. Carol and I are in Milwaukee right now. We are going up to my DadÂ’s place to pick up his car. It gets better mileage.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47

Last Sunday was a special Sunday for us. We welcomed a new member to our Family at Crown of Life. Her name is Kathy Jones. Most of you probably remember that she would come to church with her sister, Kim. It used to be a somewhat common occurrence that we would have a new member of the church. But since the flood, opportunities for new membership have been a lot slimmer. I don't think we always appreciate what is happening here.

In the early Christian church, after Pentecost, the church grew quickly. I always like to say that most of these people weren't really converts since they were people who were waiting for the Messiah and when they were shown the Messiah, they believed. They were Old Testament "Christians" who became New Testament Christians. What is important is that the Lord was the one who added new members to their fellowship. They were gifts to his church. He was actually entrusting the lives and souls of those for whom he had died to the early Christian Church.

We probably don't always think about it that way. Here is a person that the Lord has been thinking about since before the world began. Here is a person that Jesus had in mind while he suffered there on the cross and laid down his life for her to make her his own. Here is a person whom the Holy Spirit has been calling and enlightening. And now what does God do? He takes that person and puts her in our church and says, "Take care of her." He could have put her in another church but he didn't, he put her in ours. It makes you look at new members in a different way, doesn't it? And now here is the good part, he has done the same with you.

News:

1. The Mold Krewe has been making good progress.
2. The Builders have sent down plumbers to get the preliminary plumbing done. One of them, Bubholz, was here before at the very beginning.
3. There is about a foot of snow on the ground and it is snowing today. (I guess you are guessing that Carol and I are still in Wisconsin.)
4. I notice the same thing here as I noticed in Georgia last week. It seems odd, all the trees are vertical, the streets don't have trash piled in them and the houses don't have blue roofs.
5. Still missing, Ruth Young
6. Worship on Sunday 11:00 AM, Choir practice at 10:00
7. Ladies guild Christmas Party, Saturday, Noon, Ramona's house.

Be strong in the Lord:

Pastor

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. Acts 16:14-15

I heard from George Armstrong today. (For those of you who don't know her, she was the lady who drowned in the flood.) Lydia's funeral will be on Saturday in Mansura, LA at St. Paul's Lutheran Church at 11:30 AM. Lydia's family sort of took over the funeral arrangements so she will not be buried from our church but from a LCMS church there. (I guess that is one of the problems with not having a church building to offer for such things.) I still plan to attend. But of course where a person is buried from has nothing whatsoever to do with where they spend eternity. Lydia was a member of the Family for 18 years. I knew her well and heard her confess her faith many times. There are few people who had as clear an understanding of Lutheran doctrine than Lydia. As it turns out, Lydia was a good name for her.

The Lydia in the Bible went down by the riverside to listen to St. Paul's message. We are told that the Holy Spirit moved her heart and she believed. She believed and saw to it that her whole household was baptized and then she offered her Christian hospitality to St. Paul

Our Lydia also listened to the word of God. She and George, although they were the oldest members of our church for many years, also won the best attendance award more than anyone else did. She came to church; she came to Bible class. And she knew her Bible. The Spirit worked in her heart too. And she raised all her kids in the faith, bringing them to church and having them Baptized. Her kindness and hospitality were well known. Her Dad, who was the first black pastor in the LCMS, gave her a good name. I'll miss her, but I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

News:

1. Lydia's funeral as stated above. George will be leaving for California shortly thereafter. I'm hoping to attend. We will be heading back early tomorrow if the snow doesn't get too deep.

2. Ladies Guild Christmas Party, Saturday, Noon. We will set aside a time to remember Lydia.

Be strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. Psalm 146:3

Our mayor was in Washington yesterday trying to raise money. The report came out that the Federal Government had pledged another billion or so for levee construction. Of course that was good news. People say they don't want to move back unless they can be confident that this won't happen all over again. There is the rumor that says that they aren't planning to rebuild any part of our neighborhood; that they are just saying that and they don't mean it when they say they want us to come back. There are other rumors that they are secretly planning to return the whole area to marshland. Who can you believe?

Long ago the Psalmist knew the answer to that question. People are people, mortal men are mortal men. Even if they are honest they end up "returning to the ground" and all their plans with them. If we spend our time looking to human beings to get us out of a jam, we will all too often be disappointed. It isn't that they don't want to help; it is just that they are not really equipped to help.

How much better to put your trust in the one who can save, to put your "hope in the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them." Are levees a problem for the Lord? Are 100-year flood plains an issue with the one who made heaven and earth? Is the one who died to save us unwilling to rescue us in matters of day to day living? A couple months ago, we discussed our future as a church and decided that we would rebuild. We didn't write a letter to the Mayor or the Governor, we took our plan to the Maker of heaven and earth and asked him to help us. We did that because we believed that the Lord built a church in New Orleans and that he still wants us to proclaim Jesus to the people of our neighborhood when they return. It is true, we don't know how all these things are going to turn out, but we are in contact with the One who does. Let's keep asking Him. Let's keep trusting Him.

News:
1. Our website received an award from Lutherans on Line for best website of the month. "Site of the
Month" sites are chosen for their wealth of information, easy navigation, appealing design and layout.
We of course need to thank our webmaster Michael Eaton of California. (You will remember him as
one of the early workers who came here. He is also the passionate gesticulator on the latest WELS
video.) Thanks Michael! Look it up at colnola.com.

2. Speaking of the WELS video. Go to wels.net and look at the latest Katrina video. (I'm wearing a lovely care package, flowered shirt on this one.)
3. The WELS Relief officials are coming down and meeting with some of us on Monday, just to keep things up to date.
4. Tomorrow is Lydia's funeral in Mansura, 11:30 AM, St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Highway 107.
5. Ladies Guild Christmas party, Saturday, noon, Ramona's house. Bring a dessert. We will set aside some time to remember our sister, Lydia.

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of Crown of Life:

For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:16-19

On Sunday, in our worship service, I was surprised by "Pastor Appreciation Day." I knew there were some sneaky things going on and I heard the whispering. But you did surprise me. For those of you who don't know, you gave me a new desk, a microwave, a cutting board, a carpet and flowers. In addition you gave me $1500.00 And if that were not enough, many of you wrote letters that were put in a notebook. I've been reading them, but if you were in church on Sunday and you heard Kim read hers, you know that a body can only take one of them at a time. Your generosity and kindness to me is astounding.

St. Paul is writing to the Philippians. In this section he thanks them for their gift of support. It sounds when you read it like Paul was truly in need and very grateful for their offering to him. But he knows the truth in this. This gift to him was not a gift to him, but a fragrant offering to God. If he were Paul, the tent maker, it would have been different. But he was Paul, the apostle of the Lord. Their gift to him was first a gift to God. Because of that, St. Paul is confident that God will respond to their offering as God always responds... bigger, better, more.

There are differences however. I'm not an apostle. (Many have wondered if I'm even a pastor.) I'm also not someone who has been sitting around waiting for a pay check. You have always paid me faithfully and generously. What you gave me yesterday was lagniappe. But before I go on with that I need to say something. During this time of testing, I have needed you much more than you have needed me. Your willingness to pick up the struggle to rebuild has been an inspiration to me. Why rebuild a church, it would be so much easier just to go to a different one? Why struggle through all the difficulties of getting it back together when it would make a lot of sense just to walk away? I believe the day will come when we will worship together in our church again on Morrison Rd. When that day comes it will not be because of me, it will be because of you ?? and of course the Lord. Speaking of whom?? if He gave the Philippians more, better, and bigger because they paid St. Paul's salary, I wonder what he has in mind for those who do that and lagniappe too.

News:
1. The Builders are heading home for Christmas, but promise to return in January.
2. I preached at Lydia's funeral on Saturday in Mansura, LA. A little Lutheran church, 100 years old. We know where she is and we thank God. And we thank God for letting us get to know her all these years.
3. We will not be having a Christmas Eve service but Trinity in Abita Springs is having a candle light service at 7:00. I'm sure that Cross of Glory is also having a service. If anyone knows that time, please forward it on to me.
4. Christmas Day service at 11:00 AM on Sunday.
5. Tonight I meet with the Committee on Relief people. They are checking to see how the projects are going.
6. January 7th and 14th there are more volunteers are coming down, this time from Wisconsin Lutheran College, to work on houses. If you can house them and provide some meals, please contact Kristopher.
7. Here is a blog entry on the www.wels.net/imprint http://www.wels.net/imprint site that I thought you might want to read. It is from one of the volunteers who was down here last week.
From Mold Krewe VI http://www.wels.net/wordpress/archives/2005/12/15/from-mold-krewe-xi/
From Vermont, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin; seven of us came together in New Orleans to help our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Where to begin? Devastation is everywhere. Neighborhoods are ghost towns. No electricity. No sewer. No clean water. No people. But?? lots of abandoned buildings. Many ??blue roofs, countless deserted cars, trucks, and boats. Various strange smells, empty homes and discarded belongings. Photos, videos, and the media?? none of them can show what it is really like. It's a completely different world.

A husband and wife in a townhouse. A father, mother and two sons in a house. A woman in a wheelchair in a duplex. What do they have in common? Their homes were flooded and in need of help. We are here to gut out homes of friends and families of Crown of Life Lutheran Church.

The home we are working on now is rough. Water line almost up to the ceiling and hadn't been opened since Katrina hit. We enter, wearing Tyvek suits, boots, respirators, goggles, gloves, and hard hats?? mold is everywhere. Carpet and flooring (and everything in between) covered with a cracked mosaic layer of mud. Seashells on the floor. Debris on the walls. Everything has been floating around for 3 weeks. Beds in disarray. Dressers tipped over, lying on beds. Refrigerator on its back. No possessions were spared.

What is our job? Duct tape the fridge. Carry out everything from the house. Leave it between the sidewalk and curb: vegetation?? electrical?? chemicals?? everything else?? Rip out the carpeting. Take down the drywall. Pull out the nails. Bleach the studs. Eat MRE ??s (Meals Ready to Eat) for lunch. What a blessing when the Red Cross stops by and gives us a hot lunch!!!

We are thankful to the Lord and WELS Kingdom Workers for this great opportunity to serve in love. The time we share is uplifting and the memories are priceless. Crown of Life congregation worships at one of the member's home, led by Pastor Sternhagen. Amazing! The faith and fellowship of these members is awesome!

There are many in need and much to do. We can help, one home at a time.

-Julie Majerus

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. Eph 2:19-20

We were all sitting around a table talking; Kris Smith, myself, Carol, and representatives from the WELS Kingdom Workers and WELS Committee on Relief. They had come down to discuss with us the progress toward rebuilding and to make some plans for the future. They, of course, along with the other members of WELS have done some amazing things in an effort to help us get back into our homes and church. Pastor Warnecke told stories of how people who had come down here to work on the Mold Krewes, came back saying how much they got out of it. Apparently that is the way it is in God's kingdom. When you lay it out there for others, you are the ones who are blessed. (I guess that shouldn't be surprising since that is what He has promised.) Let me give you an example of what I mean. What follows is a portion of an e-mail I received from one of the Mold Krewe. (He is also on the latest WELS video)

When I came back from the Gulf Coast, Naomi noticed a change in me. She
couldn't express what it was, but said it was like I had found religion
while I was gone. That's a funny thing to say to a Christian, that they've
found religion and it is almost strange to the point of being askew when
directed towards a member of the WELS. I had changed. My perspective of
worries shifted. All the things that interrupted my (note the my)
idyllic life had stopped. They were no longer a bother. That is how I
explained the change.
Then the current WELS video came out. There was Trinity Lutheran, the
Trailer Park, the Fellowship Hall, Pastor Dietrich and the Sternhagens. I
remind myself of my big brother Robert, it was almost like watching him
standing in Pastor Joe's office. Then it struck me. I didn't find religion
in the Gulf Coast, I found the Church. Really what I found was the meaning
of the church. Now the bottom of the Nicene Creed makes sense, has a
personal touch to it.

"We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church." Nicene Creed

Odd how God can use a church without a church to teach the meaning of Church.

News:

1. Randy Hall got his electrician's license for the city of New Orleans. God has heard our prayers! And He even answered "Yes." It took him a lot of driving to town (Randy not God) and convincing less than cooperative officials that we needed this. Say thanks!
2. Speaking of electricity, Carol and I drove past the church on the way home and all of the street lights were on. You know what that means? The wires are alive.
3. Plans:
a. Middle of January the Builders come in force to begin work. They set up their living quarters on the church parking lot.
b. January 7th and 14th more mold Krewes come in. (If you want your house gutted now is the time!)
c. Jerry Zimpleman and his Krewe of home rebuilders comes at the end of January to start rebuilding homes. On the list, at this time are the Ellsworths and Jeffersons.
Let me explain what is being offered here. You can get your house gutted at no cost. You can have your house rebuilt for the cost of the materials. These are building professionals who are donating their time to help us get back in our homes. As you know, the money you have received from insurance may not be able to put you back where you were especially today and finding a contractor who will do the work is very difficult these days. If you take advantage of this program you should be able to get back in your house and maybe even have some money left over. If you want to get in on this, let me know. And get your building permit. (Getting a permit will be easy for some and more difficult for others. You just have to put in the time.)

4. Worship service on Sunday at 11:00.
Christmas Eve service at Trinity, Abita Springs at 7:00 PM and Cross of Glory, Baton Rouge 7 PM

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

"I am the Lord?s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Luke 1:38

There are a lot of questions I have. Our church was doing really well. We were doing better than we had for awhile. We were reaching new people and our members had a pretty good idea of where we were. Then this hurricane happened. I don't get it. We were doing good. I think this hurricane was a mistake.

Mary didn?t ask for it. No one said, "Mary, how would you like to be the mother of Jesus, the long promised Messiah?" She just turned up pregnant. Talk about turning her world upside-down. God had a beautiful plan, and we are glad He did. But Mary probably didn't see it at this point. She was being used by God to accomplish something far greater. Her faith of course is legendary. "May it be to me as you have said," expresses better than anything what it means to be a humble servant of the Lord. You can see why the Lord chose her to be the mother of the Savior of the World.

I guess I can see some good things that have come out of all of this. I can see people caring, sharing, helping, thanksgiving. But in the spirit of Christmas let's just say with Mary, "May it be to me, as you have said." Judging from what God did with Mary, we are in for some real blessings.

News:

1. The Committee on Relief has moved on. It looks like the money the people of the synod gave will see us through all of this. We thank God and we thank them.
2. FEMA trailers are appearing in our neighborhood.
3. Here in Mississippi the boiled peanut guy had given way to the 20 steaks for $20.00 guy. I bought some. Do you think they will be any good? Monday night at the meeting we had in Metairie I had blackened redfish. It was sooooo good. Time to come back home.
4. Don't forget to get your building permit.
5. I've got my bare feet on the carpet y'all gave me. Its nice!!
6. Horace called and continues to do well.
7. Church at 11:00 on Sunday. Christmas Eve services at 7:00 PM at Trinity and Cross of Glory.

Be strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

I guess you don?t realize just how much stuff you had until you lose it. Carol was making a pie the other day and she said, ?I need a pastry cutter.? Apparently ours was lost in the flood. Does everyone have a pastry cutter? What is a pastry cutter anyway? Did Jesus have a pastry cutter? If not, how did he survive without one. There are many things that I realize that I miss too. (Of course they are much more important than a pastry cutter, for example a crescent wrench.)

This is Christmas time. We look again into the manger and see this astounding truth, Jesus left it all for me. He had everything, all the joys of heaven. He gave up everything. He came with nothing. In his life he had nothing by human standards. But worse than that, he became nothing. You never get so low as when you are abandoned by God. ?My God my God why have you forsaken me,? He said. He did that for you and me so that we could have everything and I mean the BIG EVERYTHING, life everlasting in heaven itself.

Many of you will celebrate Christmas in a different place, in a different house, a different town, in a different way. We will all be reminded of what we had and what we lost. (Far more important things that pastry cutters and crescent wrenches.) But this year let's focus on what we did not lose: the love of our God, His care and forgiveness, His active roll in our lives. We did not lose our home in heaven. The truth is, we still have EVERYTHING.

1. SHHH don?t tell Carol. I?m getting her a pastry cutter for Christmas. (Big spender)
2. An Army Corps of Engineers guy came by to put orange paint on our ?hanger.? For those of you unfamiliar with disaster terminology that is a tree that has tipped over but hanging up in another tree. It was one of the trees that the hurricane knocked over. One of four pine trees broken off or tipped over in our yard. They fell in various directions, none of them hit our house.
3. Connienaice says she is going to come in from Houston and worship with us on Sunday. That would be her first time. Just a reminder her birthday is the same as Jesus?.

Be strong in the Lord:

Of course none of this has anything whatsoever to do with how we celebrate Christmas. God giving his son to us as a gift to save us from sin is just as wonderful as ever. I don‘t know; it might even be better than ever. So please excuse my uncharacteristic letter. The time to laugh hasn‘t come yet.

Merry Christmas, Ya‘ll.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:4-5 (From the Christmas story according to John)

Yesterday I got another flat tire. I think this is number 4. This time it was a sheet rock screw. But it is to be expected. You get used to it?. You get used to it. Many times when people see the destruction of our town for the first time they are speechless. Sometimes they even choke back a tear. It is an emotional thing. They see all the dreams and plans of people lying dashed to pieces.

I wonder how Jesus felt when he came to this world. As he grew up in it and walked around in it, did he feel that way? It was darkness. In his case it wasn?t the buildings, it was the people. Oh the plans and dreams he had for this place when he first called light out of darkness. It was going to be amazing, bright and beautiful. Now there was the darkness of sin and death. I imagine a tear coming to his eye as he said, ?O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.? (Matthew 23) But Jesus was the light and he became this world?s only light, the light we celebrate on Christmas.

Monday night I drove through our neighborhood. The National Guard sentry allowed me to go in even though it was getting close to curfew. The streetlights were on for the first time. What a difference light makes. Thank you Jesus for bringing light to our world.

News:
1. I?ve been reading over the ?love letters? y?all sent me. Thanks! Let me send some back OOOOXXXX
2. The Synod officials who are helping us out sent us a Christmas video. I?ll bring it Sunday. What a nice thing they did! It will lift your spirits.
3. Our Lutheran Church in Japan (the mission WELS started) sent us 400,000 yen for our recovery efforts. I don?t know how much that is but the fact that they would think of us tells you something about the Church, about Fellowship and about them. I don?t know how to say ?thank you? in an appropriate Japanese way but as they would say in Africa, ?We receive your gift with two hands.?
4. Please remember, Christmas Eve Services at Trinity and Cross of Glory at 7:00 PM. Christmas Day at Halls 11:00 AM.

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

In him was life and that life was the light of men. John 1:4

It was a good Christmas! We packed ourselves together into Hall?s living room. We sang those Christmas songs that are so much better when sung with our friends. We shared Christmas greetings with each other and from those scattered. Wanda said she was looking forward to Christmas next year in our old church. We got in our cars and scattered to the places we are living now. Ate a big dinner, maybe too much. Fell asleep on the sofa. At 11:30 PM word came that Barbara and Michael?s mom had passed away. It was a good Christmas!

St. John kicks off his book with the Christmas story, told as only he could. ?The word became flesh and dwelt for awhile among us.? In the midst of that challenging passage he says of Jesus, ?In him was life?.? Have you ever thought about what that means? Sometimes in movies and novels they try to show that life goes on by having a baby born into a family of someone who has just died. Is that the kind of ?life? this newborn baby in Bethlehem represents? It is much more than that. Of whom can it be said, ?In him was life?? Actually if you take Jesus out of the picture, what could be said of us all is, ?In him was death.? Dead and deader. Dead and dying. But as the angels rejoiced Jesus, was born in a manger to a virgin named Mary. In him was life. Through his death and resurrection he would pass that life on to us. Now they can say of us, ?In him was life.? ?In him is life.? It was a good Christmas.

I knew Michael?s and Barbara?s mom. She is a faithful child of God and has been for a long time. I know she will be missed and I know that her sudden death takes our breath away. But what a great way to ?die?! What a great day to ?die?! The Lord blessed her with a long life. She was getting around pretty good, with her family on Christmas day. She had just spent the day hearing about how her life had been born in Bethlehem. He gave her life. And then the Lord suddenly took her home. Does the Lord have a web site that we can sign up to ?die? that way? Of course we know that she didn?t really die, because in her is life.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Walker, Schultz family. We ask the Lord to fill with his own fullness all he takes away. But of this I am sure, we will celebrate God?s gift to us in heaven together. It was a good Christmas!

News:

1. Maurice and Kathy Mercadel report that things are going pretty good for them. Marissa and Kelsey were in the Christmas program. The pass their greetings on to y?all.
2. Thanks for the Christmas gifts. They remind me of the gift God gave me. In a way they come from the same place.
3. It looks like we are going to get back on the air again soon. The radio station is looking for us and Chris has agreed to join me. I?ll let you know when we get it going again.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

When (the Wisemen) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ?Get up,? he said, ?take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him? Matthew 2:13

I?m looking out my window at these tall southern pines. They have that teenager thing going, ?We?ll grow as tall and fast as we can and worry about filling out later.? But now some of them are broken off half way up. Some look just fine, some have all brown needles and others only have half brown needles. How many of them will survive? I know this is going to sound really lame, but they remind me of our congregation: some have gotten their lives back together, some are limping along and some are pretty beat up. Well, at least we all know, with God?s care we will survive. Still our future is unclear.

Did you ever notice that Joseph never says anything? In the ?play? of Jesus? life he got no speaking parts. Everybody else gets to speak, the shepherds, the Wisemen, Herod?. Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah even get soliloquies. But not Joseph. Joseph is always being spoken to by God but he never says anything back. Joseph is told what to do, and he does it. So when the Lord says, ?Take this virgin to be your wife.? Joseph doesn?t even say, ?OK,? he just does it. When Joseph is told not to go home but live in Egypt for awhile, he goes there and waits until the Lord tells him he can return. Joseph didn?t know where he was going to live next year. We don?t hear him complain. (But that is the advantage of never speaking; he also never complains.) He just shuts up and lets the Lord lead him.

Not a bad philosophy of life, I guess, ?Shut up and let the Lord lead.? Well, it isn?t really a philosophy, it has more to do with faith and promises. Yes, our future is unclear. But it always is, we just realize it more now. I guess we are learning the art of being more like Joseph.

News:

1. I?m happy to announce the birth of another grandchild. Born to my son Josh and his wife Kristin is Rachel Ruth, yesterday, December 26. Mother and Baby are doing fine. We thank God!
2. Keep the Walkers and Schultz?s in your prayers as they mourn the death of their Mother/Grandmother.
3. Don?t forget to keep in touch with your Diaspora Partner.
4. A reminder to those who are planning to have the Zimpleman Crew work on their houses, ?Get your building permit.? You need a personal check to get your permit. They won?t take a credit card or cash. (You can use a money order, but you will need to know how much. It is $50.00 plus $5.00 for every thousand of repairs. So if you put down $20,000 it will cost you $150.00.)

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

The earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. Is 51:6

We are approaching the end of the year so we can expect a lot of TV specials and articles in newspapers and magazines pointing out the important events of 2005. Of course I know what you would put on that list. What has happened to us isn?t just an important event in the year; sometimes it is hard to think about anything else that happened in the year. It is such an overwhelming event that it will become a watershed date. ?That was BK or AK.? (Before Katrina, After Katrina)

Isaiah?s clothes must have been wearing out because he mentions clothes 3 times in this one chapter. (That is another lesson we learned this year, it is nice to have clothes.) He looks at the earth and tells his listeners that, like clothes, the earth is going to just wear out and all the people will die like flies. We live in a world that wears out. Roads wear out, cars wear out, our homes wear out. We also live in a world where people die like flies. I guess the idea here is that flies don?t live very long and they die pretty easily. (Most of the time not easily enough.) Our world wears out, and the people on it wear out. But let me quote the rest of the passage, ?But my salvation will last forever.? We are talking about Jesus and what he did for us. His birth we just celebrated.

I guess this will be a watershed year for many of us. It is a reminder that we live in a world that wears out. BK or AK. Or we can remember the real watershed date, the day the Lord sent His Son, the Savior of the world. 2006 AD (in the year of our Lord) is so much better than 1 AK.

News:

1. Kris is working with Builders for Christ to help them set up for their entry into the city.
2. Mrs. Walker?s funeral is going to be Tuesday in Milwaukee. Keep her family in our prayers.
3. 5th flat tire, but whose counting. This time it was a roofing nail.
4. It looks like too much of our choir is going to be out of town. No choir practice on Sunday. (I have a couple good ?challenge? pieces for us.)
5. Worship at 11:00

70128

Sewer: Sewer system is inoperative.

Water: Potable.

Elect: Service available to 51% of customers.

Gas: 100% service available.

Debris: 4.8 M cubic yards collected to date.

Transportation: Roads Inspected 90%; Signals Operational 0%; Temporary Stop Signs 100%.

911: Operational

70129

Sewer: Sewer system is inoperative.

Water: Potable.

Elect: Service available to 60% of customers.

Gas: 100% service available.

Debris: 4.8 M cubic yards collected to date.

Transportation: Roads Inspected 90%; Signals Operational 0%; Temporary Stop Signs 100%.

911: Operational

Be Strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

May the beauty of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

We are poised to begin the construction phase of our church and homes. So far much of what we have been doing is destruction and not construction. Now with the New Year a large team of Builders for Christ will be coming down. They will be setting up on our church parking lot and they will begin the rebuilding in earnest. Also coming down will be construction teams to help our members get their houses rebuilt. Along with them will be more Mold Krewes to get homes ready for the construction phase. We now have the building permits and the electrical license in order. We are ready. But there remain a lot of questions. Will the levees be strong enough? Will people move back? Will our members move back? Will our neighborhood be a ?blighted one? where some move back but leave many homes empty?

The verse above comes at the end of a Psalm that begins, ?Lord you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations? and then goes on to show how frail and fleeting our lives are on this earth. It is a psalm that is often quoted at funerals. But Moses in the psalm prays that at least what we do will last. If the Lord establishes the work of our hand, then at least it will be something that will last.

We know that buildings don?t last. They may last longer than people but they don?t last. That is very clear to us. So we are not talking about that. But over the years, how many people have come to know their Savior through the work at Crown of Life? How many eternities have been changed, through that labor? There wasn?t one person who walked through those doors that didn?t hear a message of God?s love in Christ. There wasn?t one kid who came to VBS or Christmas for Kids who didn?t hear the story of their Savior. How many of them came to believe? We know of some?. how many others? That is work that will last. So we put our hands out there to do this work. It is through this work that we will once again be able share his truth and make a lasting difference long after we are gone. We don?t know where it will all lead, but we ask the Lord?s beauty to rest on us as we work and we ask him to take this labor of ours make it into something that will last.
News:
1. If you happen to pass by the church, water the flower garden in the front.
2. Now that more electricity is available, there are more FEMA trailers appearing.
3. Did you notice that the water is potable in our neighborhood and natural gas is ready to hook up. (Progress)
4. I guess not many of us will be setting off fireworks this New Years, but they warn us to be careful because of all the blue roofs.
5. No Choir practice on Sunday
6. Church at the usual time 11:00 AM

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

May the beauty of the Lord our God rest upon us; Psalm 90:17

Carol and I took the canoe up the bayou yesterday. It was a warm day and we were hoping to see an alligator sunning himself on the bank. Winter time is usually not the most beautiful time to tour the bayou, most things are dormant, nothing is blooming. This year it is far beyond that. The high water with all its salt has left everything pretty brown, not much green. There were a few places where new grass was beginning to grow. It looked nice. This year most of the people around here put their Christmas trees outside. That is because most of the people around here are living in FEMA trailers and their isn?t room for a tree. The city of Waveland had a contest for the most beautiful FEMA Christmas tree. They are trying. One of you gave me a watch for Christmas. It is a beautiful thing. (I tend to buy the watches that look like they?ve been hewn from a block of iron, you know, manly watches) But I have to say this one looks pretty good on my wrist.

Yesterday I wrote on the passage above but I was intrigued by the word ?beauty? as in ?May the beauty of the Lord our God rest upon us.? If you look it up in your NIV, it will say, ?May the favor of the Lord?? but there is a footnote that says, ?beauty.? So I looked it up in my Hebrew Bible. Actually the word does lean heavily toward beauty or delight. Well, that isn?t surprising, we know that the Lord is into beauty. And I think he wants us to be into it too. Take a look at your wife or your children and you know about beauty. I used to sit in my back yard and look into the trees filled with birds. (We even had a family of Mississippi Kites living in the tree behind our house.) Oranges growing in my trees, and the smell of someone cooking something wonderful down the block. It was not lost on me. I knew God made this beauty for me. But you know there is another place in the Psalms where it talks about the beauty of the Lord. Ps 27:4 David talks about gazing on the beauty of the Lord in his temple. Of course the true beauty of the Lord can be found in his word?. In his love for us, what he said and what he did for us in Jesus. All this other beauty is just reminder of that.

Try to picture, ?May your beauty rest upon us.? We can be happy that the most important part of God?s beauty will always rest upon us, even when our world and we don?t look beautiful. But I don?t think there is anything wrong with wanting all that other beauty to rest upon us too. Our God is into beauty.

News:
1. I know some of you thought that you caught me in a mistake. (I make plenty of them) But this time I was right, Moses did indeed write Psalm 90. I thought that Moses had written more than one Psalm, but I was wrong about that.
2. Mercadel?s came into town yesterday to get the building permit. Hope it went well.
3. I talked with the new crew leader of the Builders for Christ. He seems excited about getting started. There will be about 25 of them. He was wondering where they would worship. Kick off is slated for January 16th.
4. Chris and I will be back on the air soon. I?ll let you know.
5. Remember to worship with us on Sunday at 11:00 AM

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32

It was another of those extraordinary Sundays. I was able to tell the congregation that a Lutheran Pioneer group from one part of the country had raised some money and was sending it to us. From another part of the country a mission society had sent us a check from their treasury. A friend of mine said that he and his wife was sending the church a substantial gift. Another family had taken the money they would have spent on Christmas gifts to one another and sent that money to us. All in one week. And I can tell you that this has been going on week after week for months now. Jack reported that the builders were going to be coming en force on the 16th. Kris reported that new Mold Krewes were scheduled for the 7th and 14th. We shake our heads and say thanks.

The above passage is the report about the early Christian church, shortly after Pentecost. If you read the whole section you can see that they helped each other out. No one was needy because they would sell their possessions and give it to the church to be distributed to the needy. Some have said that this is the beginning of socialism, but of course it isn’t. It is really the opposite of socialism. Socialism says that for the good of all, all take what is yours and give it to others more needy. In Acts it is, “I realize that everything I have really belongs to God and so out of love for Him I freely share what He has given me.” The difference is huge. One might conclude that this was an extraordinary time in the Christian church and that it didn’t continue. But I suspect that throughout the history of the church people have seen their fellow believers in need, looked at their things and did not see them as “their things” and shared. What the Spirit worked in the book of Acts has really been happening since Acts. It happened again yesterday.

I didn’t mention the amount of money in the gifts listed above not because it is unimportant but because it isn’t necessary to make the point. But I’ll tell you that the gifts were significant. What is more to the point is the spirit in which it is given. I’d like to share a letter that accompanied one of the gifts so you get the idea. When Carol read it to me we were doing what we do a lot of these days, driving down the road. I have a malady that when I get “moved” my eyes cloud up and I can’t speak. It happened when she read this letter and when my friend called me. (It’s not fair, when the Holy Spirit moved the disciples on Pentecost, they were enabled to speak more and better. I am able to speak less. I guess that shows the wisdom of the Spirit.) Anyway, here is the letter.
“Dear Pastor Sternhagen,
This year instead of purchasing gifts for our family members we decided to help out fellow brethren in the faith who have experienced severe hardships. Please use half of the enclosed money for your church renovations and the remainder to help needy members of your congregation.
May God bless your observance of the Savior’s birth and may He ever be your guide in the New Year.”

News:
1. Chris and I will restart our radio show on Saturday at noon central time. It is 800 AM. But you can listen and participate on the internet. Go to www.wsho.com and click on the radio icon and you can listen live. Remember this is a live call in program so we encourage people to call in and discuss the topics before us. I also intend to give an update section on the rebuilding and repopulating of our church and neighborhood.
2. Coordinating meeting at Trinity, 5:30 tonight. We will be trying to coordinate the Builders, the Faith in Action folks with those providing housing etc. Kris and I will represent Crown of Life.
3. We are seriously discussing moving our worship closer to the church. We have an offer from the Kionkas in Metairie. Stay tuned. Our goal of course is to start worshipping in our fellowship hall (and then the chapel) as soon as possible.
4. Choir practice next Sunday at 10:00 AM.
5. Ladies Guild, Saturday, January 14, GretchenÂ’s house, 11 AM
6. Cross of Glory has invited our youth to join their youth on Saturday, Jan. 14, to go bowling, 4-6 PM, Baton Rouge. Let me know if you can attend.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised – look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said,” Judges 6:36-37

We had just prayed about it. We had been working at getting the electricity turned on at the church so that the builders could set up their camp. We had made some progress. Randy had put in a lot of hours trying to get things in order. But when and how we would get electricity at the church we still didnÂ’t know. So we prayed about it. Yesterday Jack went down and found the electricity on at the church. Now you can say that it might have been on all along. You might say it is an amazing coincidence. You might say that Randy is a very influential person. You might even say that electricity is an odd thing to pray about. But I have a different idea.

Gideon should have known better. God said that he was going to make him successful in battle. That should have been enough. But Gideon asks God to make a wool fleece wet. It is kind of an odd request. Doesn’t God have better things to do? But there were other times. Elijah and Elisha seemed to have an affinity for miraculously filling empty pots with oil. Jesus once prayed for lunch. (True it was lunch for 5000 but it was still lunch.) Peter asked God to help him walk on water. Some of these are right up there with, “Please turn on the electricity.”

Do you think God sorts through prayers putting the really important ones like, “Forgive me!” “Save me!” “Heal me” at the top and all the electricity, oil, walk on water prayers at the bottom? Do you think he minds being asked for things like this? “People are dying without Christ, there is a war in Iraq, and the hospitals are full of sick people and you are praying for electricity.” Actually I think God likes prayers like this. I know this because He has told us to pray, in every situation. That would seem to include not having electricity. He has told us never to stop praying. I think the Lord wants us to realize that He is in charge of the little things in our lives along with the big things. What’s next? Plumbing?

1. Evelyn called yesterday. She is not feeling well. Please put her in your prayers.
2. Horace also called; he is doing pretty good. It will be 2 months before he is able to return.
3. Tianna called. She says that she “Knows what it means to miss New Orleans.”
4. The meeting with Abita Springs went well last night. They continue to carry a large part of the housing and meals burden.
5. Update. Mold Krewes coming in from WLC on the 7th and 14th.
Jerry ZimplemanÂ’s crew comes to work on houses in Abita Springs 14th??
Builders for Christ start full force 16th.
6. Radio show on Saturday Noon central time. WSHO 8:00 AM or www.WSHO.com
7. Choir practice at 10:00 AM. Worship at 11:00 AM.
8. Correction: Ladies Guild, Saturday, 10 AM, GretchenÂ’s house.
9. Youth Group bowling with Cross of Glory, 4-6 PM, January 14th.
10. Reminder: Get your building permit!!

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God?s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 3:4-6

I guess most of you know this, but one of New Orleans? biggest holidays is fast upon us, Epiphany. For those of you who read this who are not New Orleaneans, I need to explain this. This is not a big holiday here because we remember the Wisemen finding Jesus, but it is related to that. It is a big holiday here because it is the beginning of the Carnival Season. From Epiphany till Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the carnival season. Krewes will be starting their debutante activities and making the final plans for their Ball and choosing a King etc. For those of us not in a Krewe the first sign of Carnival is the sale of King cakes. It is a cake named after King Jesus and has a little plastic baby in it so that everyone, like the Wisemen, can go in search of the new born King. (And put on a few pounds at the same time.)

The first Wisemen found the baby Jesus in Bethlehem with the help of the Scriptures and a very unusual star. How exactly does a star signal the birth of the Messiah? How does a star lead you to the place where Jesus is? How does it stop over the place where the New Born King was staying? Is this one of the mysteries of Christmas? Like how do you combine God and man in the same person as is the case with Jesus? Of course since God can do anything he wants to, these things aren?t hard or mysterious to him, only to us. But as St. Paul points out above, the real mystery of Christmas is the message of Epiphany, that ?the Gentiles would become heirs together with Israel.? People who are not Jews would become children of God and part of one body.

So if you want to see the mystery of Christianity, the mystery of Christmas, the mystery of Epiphany, look in the mirror. That person you are looking at has been joined in with Abraham, Moses, Peter, Paul and Mary. You are part of the real mystery. People of all different nationalities and races are joined together into one body. We see evidence of it all the time. We have people from all over the United States coming down here to help people they have never met and may never meet. Yesterday I got a check from the Lutheran Church in Japan for about $3000.00 to help us in our recovery. All these people have been called together by the same gospel. So this Epiphany (by the way it is Friday the 6th) look in the mirror see the true mystery of Christmas. The mystery is you.

1. Passed by the church yesterday, the flowers in the garden are still growing and it looks like the grass is turning green. The parking lot is being set up for the Builder?s trailers.
2. For clarification. A building permit and an electrical permit are two different things. An electrician needs to get your electrical permit, but you need to get your building permit.
3. Youth group bowling with Cross of Glory, Saturday, the 14th 4-6 PM. Cost $5.
4. Choir practice, Sunday, 10 AM. Worship 11:00 AM.
5. A note from Gretchen: Please include a note with the announcement of the Ladies Guild meeting this Saturday the 7th at 10:00 a.m. that if they cannot make it to my house but would like to participate they can join by conference call by calling 1-800-727-6732 passcode 840738.

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

Yesterday I made bread. It was a good thing. I know that doesn?t seem like much but it was something that I had done from time to time. Needing the dough, watching it rise, and smelling it baking in the oven and eating it when it is still hot, are all good for the senses. And then of course there is just having the time to do it. But that?s not why I enjoyed it so much.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he gave them the example of what we call the Lord?s Prayer. When you look at it, you can see that it is almost exclusively a prayer about spiritual things. Strengthen my faith. Forgive my sins. Etc. But he lumps all our physical needs into that one simple petition, ?Give us today our daily bread.? Bread is a simple thing but so much of our lives are such simple things. Those simple things that God gives us everyday are things that we probably don?t notice and probably don?t even think of when we pray, ?Give us this day our daily bread.? Flour to make bread with, yeast in the cupboard, a cupboard to hold the yeast, a bowl to mix the bread with water, water from the tap, an oven to bake the bread in, a knife to cut the bread with, a cutting board to cut the bread on. All these things are things that I didn?t have 2 months ago, but I do now, because God has given me today my daily bread.

Daily bread tastes good!

News:

1. Talked with Brunette yesterday. She was calling to say that she was thankful for the Thrivent gift and the quilt. She is still unsure if she will be coming back.
2. Found out that there won?t be phone service in our neighborhood until at least March 3. The Builders will have to get their Internet a different way.
3. Carol and Gretchen ?conspired? to purchase the necessary appliances that the Builders will need to set up a kitchen in the Church. Refrigerator, stove, freezer, washer and dryer. Things are starting to fall in place.
4. Beverly Boczon called. She is also still unsure if she will rebuild in Venetian Isles. He house was at 10 ft. elevation and received about 8 feet of water.
5. Choir practice, Sunday 10 AM, Worship 11 AM.
6. Ladies Guild, Gretchen?s house, Saturday, 10 AM. If you cannot make it to Gretchen?s house but would like to participate you can join by conference call by calling 1-800-727-6732 passcode 840738.
7. Cross of Glory, Baton Rouge, invited our youth to join them for bowling, Saturday, January 14, 4-6 PM. Cost: $5. Let me know if you can attend.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60:1-3

It has been about 2 months since the first time I drove I10 through our neighborhood at night. There wasn?t much to see because you couldn?t see anything, just darkness. You knew that for miles around out there in the darkness, were homes but you couldn?t see them, there was no electricity. As you remember, we weren?t allowed to go back and stay at our homes and as much as I wanted to go back home, I don?t think I would have wanted to live there in all that darkness.

That is the world into which Jesus came. Nothing bright, nothing shiny, just darkness. Oh, I?m sure our world doesn?t like to think of itself as darkness. We know so much. We can do so much. We have so many gifts. But our world can produce no real light. It is no place to live. Actually it is a place that does not support life, only death. If you drive through, you can see all this darkness: ignorance, hatred, wars, lies, death upon death. Into this world a child was born, THE child was born. John said, ?In him was life and that life was the light of men.? In all that darkness there is light. In all that death there is life. It is Jesus. He has given us life. He has lit up our dark world. We don?t just live now, we live more abundantly. Today is Epiphany and it is nice to have the lights on.

News:

1. The second span of the twin span (I10) opened this morning. It should make getting into town easier.
2. The radio show is back on the air. Saturday at noon. 800 AM or WSHO.com (streaming) The question for the day is, ?Should public schools teach a course in the Bible?? The Bible study section is an Epiphany reading. Eph 3:1-13 Question: When you hear of the mystery of Christ, what do you think of? Please feel free to call in and join the discussion.
3. Church council meeting at the church at 1:30 tomorrow.
4. Choir practice, Sunday 10 AM, Worship 11 AM.
5. Ladies Guild, Gretchen?s house, Saturday, 10 AM. If you cannot make it to Gretchen?s house but would like to participate you can join by conference call by calling 1-800-727-6732 passcode 840738.
6. Cross of Glory, Baton Rouge, invited our youth to join them for bowling, Saturday, January 14, 4-6 PM. Cost: $5. Let me know if you can attend.

Be strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Matthew 2:11

It was another good attendance yesterday at our home away from home. Part of the attendance was the next Mold Krewe. Fresh faces from Wisconsin Lutheran College. Were they really younger than my children? Students from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary; they had come with an offering. Was this an adventure for them? A chance to get away from the cold of a Wisconsin winter to dive into the greatest disaster of our time? They joined our choir. We sang a Yolanda Adams song. That?s the good thing about good WELS kids; they can sing and they did. Today they would clean out flooded houses. They would carry moldy things to the curb of people they had never met.

The Wisemen came. They had followed a star and the words of the scripture. They crossed the desert, they faced the danger and they came. They laid their treasures at His feet. When they returned home did they turn to each other and say, ?What an adventure!?? They had come to worship their Savior. They did what God?s people do, they laid their treasures at his feet. It was not a complicated thing, they were just thanking Him for life, for forgiveness, that?s all.

So the next Mold Krewe has come. They have come with their gifts. I think maybe not with gifts to people as much as gifts to their New Born King. Maybe not gold, frankincense and myrrh, but gifts that the Savior sees as just as valuable. Apparently it is what God?s people do.

News:
1. Evelyn missed church because she has been suffering from her chronic problems. Please keep her in your prayers.
2. I got a wireless card for the Builders for Christ so they can use the internet when they set up in New Orleans. There won?t be phone service there for a couple months at best.
3. 7:00 AM today I?ll meet with the Mold Krewe at the church. May they be safe.
4. I got a letter from my old Fox Valley Lutheran High School friend. In it was a check for $10,000 for our church. Someone in church said, ?Now that?s a good friend??
5. Chris and I are back on the radio at noon central time on Saturdays. 800 AM or on the internet www.wsho.com . Call in. Pictures below.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

On coming to the house, they saw the child with him mogher, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Matthew 2:1-12 [sic - Webmaster]

I got a letter from my old classmate from Fox Valley Lutheran High School in Appleton Wisconsin. (That?s about 30 miles south of Green Bay) Larry was the son of pig farmers and I was the son of dairy farmers. (Whose barn clothes smelled worst was a topic of debate.) He and his wife Connie sent us a check for $10,000.00, along with a wonderful letter of encouragement. Monday Morning I met with the next Mold Krewe. They were students from Milwaukee Lutheran College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. I got to the church just as the sun was coming up. One of the vans had suffered a flat tire on the Causeway. (Not a good place for a flat tire, the world?s longest bridge and no shoulders) So after the ones who were there got on their suits for gutting a house on our block, I talked to them.

The Wisemen had come to their Savior and offered them gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. It was what they had so it was what they gave, along with their time and devotion. I tried to tell the latest Mold Krewe that each time they carried something to the curb to be thrown away that they were offering to their Lord an offering like the Wisemen. Didn?t Jesus say, ?If you do it for one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me??

I guess some gifts look more like gifts than others. I hope that Larry and Connie and all the Mold Krewe people see that what they are doing is a gift to their Jesus, because that is the way he sees it.

News:

1. I?ve got the wireless internet connection for the Builders. It seems to work pretty good.
2. I?m heading to Wisconsin tomorrow. The Central African Medical Mission Committee is meeting and I need to be there. I?ll be back on Wednesday.
3. If you would like to lend a hand with the Mold Krewe, let me know. This week they are doing Johnson?s and Mercadel?s houses. I?m sure they would be happy to get the help.
4. On Saturday the Church Council met. Lee McKinney agreed to be the new church President. We discussed all the information about the future of our area. We decided to keep moving ahead. The Lord will let us know when to stop.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; Exodus 40:36

About 4 and a half months ago we were rudely ?asked? to leave our place of worship. When I first came to Crown of Life in 1986 we were worshipping in what was our fellowship hall. The church had already moved several times. They had worshipped in the Holiday Inn on Chef Hwy. They had worshipped for awhile in someone?s house in Slidell. Then they built a parsonage chapel and worshipped there. So they had already moved around a lot. Then we got our Chapel build in 1990 and we worshipped there. Four months ago we began worshipping at the Hall?s in Baton Rouge. We pretty much took over their place. (When we needed a place, they stepped up. It has been a great gift to our Family) Now we are moving again. Because of so many builders coming to town and needing a place to worship, and because it is our desire to eventually get back to worshipping in our place, we are moving to another kind member?s house in Metairie, the Kionka?s. Beginning January 22 we will hold choir practice and worship service in their place. (They also received flooding but have made good progress in getting their house repaired.) In the world of mobile homes, mobile phones, we now have a mobile church.

The people of Israel worshipped in a tent for a long time. I guess it was the first mobile church. It was a pretty big tent and it seems like they put it in one place for awhile, but they had to be able to move it, since they were always moving. It was easy for them to tell when to move, because the cloud of the presence of the Lord moved away. They had to have a church that met their needs, a church they could take with them wherever they went. It occurs to me that maybe the church is always moving or at least that it should be moving. Not in its teaching, which is the one thing that remains the same but it its ability to be flexible enough to meet the needs of those in it. This is not new. We use the language of the people. We choose a time of service that meets the needs of the people and even the place where we will meet. But maybe it is more than that - a church that is flexible enough to apply the never changing truths of God?s word to an ever changing world. And here is the good thing. Jesus said, ?Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.? Talk about flexible. On the 22nd we pack up our tent and move again. And we know that the cloud of Jesus? presence will be with us.

News:
1. Carol and I are both in Wisconsin. I?m here for one day for a Central Africa Medical Mission meeting. Carol is here watching our grandbabies while their parents are vacationing.
2. Talked with Maurice and Cathy yesterday. They were in town working with the Mold Krewe, gutting their house. They got their building permit.
3. Youth meeting on Saturday 4-6 pm. Bowling. Call Seth for details $5.00 504-237-1150
4. Evelyn reports that she is feeling better. We thank God for answered prayers.
5. Errata: I mistakenly said that WLC was Milwaukee Lutheran College. Sorry it is Wisconsin Lutheran College. (It happens to be in Milwaukee)
6. Radio Show at Noon on Saturday. WSO.com or 800 AM Call in. It doesn?t have to be on the subject we are dealing with.
7. Worship, 11:00 AM Choir 10:00 AM Sunday. The Last time at Halls. I?ll send a map tomorrow.

Be strong in the Lord: